


The Truth About Betazoids

by Kahvi



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, F/M, Humor, Light Dom/sub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2013-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 18:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kahvi/pseuds/Kahvi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain William Troi realizes that life as a Betazoid husband might not be all it's cracked up to be...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Truth About Betazoids

**Author's Note:**

> First published at ASCEML in 2004.

Captain William Troi was standing in his spacious quarters, grinning broadly. Today was his first anniversary, not only as a Captain, but  
also as a married man. There would be an official celebration later tonight, of course. Unlike his old commanding officer Jean-Luc Picard, Captain Troi rather enjoyed pomp and circumstance. That wouldn’t be for quite a while yet though, and right now he was in much more… Titillating company. All the while stroking his manly beard, he turned confidently towards his beautiful wife. His face fell.

“Well,” Deanna said, “what do you think? Do you like it?”

Will gave the light, translucent garment she was holding out for him a scrutinizing gaze. It was vaguely green in color, and some kind of sparkling particles, stones or plastic or some such, had been woven into the fabric. When he finally, reluctantly, accepted it from her outstretched hand, it felt incredibly flimsy. He was worried that it might fall apart in his hands.

“That’s the back”, Deanna said.

He turned it around, and shook his head. The so-called front could be said to resemble a suit of chain mail, in that it was really just a series of loosely connected holes. He flung the garment away in irritation.

“Deanna, you can’t expect me to wear that! I’ll be the laughing stock of all womanhood!”

“But Will dear, all Betazoid men wear this!”

“All Betazoid men wear this thing?” It looked like a stripper’s outfit from a bad holo-novel.

Deanna retrieved the offending item from the back of the chair on which it had landed, and brushed off some imaginary dust.

“Yes, they all do. And before you say anything, yes, so did my father, even though he was human by birth.”

She looked back up at him, and offered him the garment again, beaming her most radiant smile. Then she did the thing she knew always got to him, the annoyingly cute nose-wrinkle that meant she was really excited and happy about something. He could never resist her when she did that, and she knew it. And yet...

“Heh… I… Er…” he spluttered.

A change of tactics was clearly needed. Time to turn on that patented Riker charm. This was nothing a little sweet-talking couldn’t handle.

“Darling”, he murmured, moving subtly closer to his wife, making sure to keep eye-contact, “When I asked you to replicate me something nice for the party tonight, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He smiled winningly, moving in for a kiss.

“Oh no, it’s not for the party! Heavens no!” she said, laughingly brushing his attempted kiss aside. “This is for wearing around the house”.

“Aaahhh…” His grin broadened. That wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t his usual style; about as far from it as you could possibly get in fact, but at least no one would see him in it. So, if it made Deanna happy, then why not? He was nothing if not reasonable.

“Just… Lounge-wear then?” His voice was practically oozing butter. He poured himself a glass of champagne from the newly opened bottle on the antique Betazoid side-table, a gift from his mother-in-law if he remembered correctly. “Ah! An excellent Terran vintage.” He sipped gingerly.

“Yes, and underneath your regular clothes of course. Oh, for goodness sakes don’t spray that stuff all over my mother’s old table!”

“Bpf… Wha?”

“Don’t be so uptight about this, Will. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that from a liberal, broad-minded person like you. You know, Star Fleet officers are expected to not be ethnocentric.”

“ _Ethnocentric?_ ”

Deanna smiled. It was the calming, calculated smile of a therapist, oozing mental health and inner strength.

“I respect your culture, after all. You had your bachelor party, and that silly wedding-cake ritual, and we had a human minister, even though I know you’re not religious.”

“It’s a tradition in my family,” Will mumbled.

“And we got ‘engaged’ and had that ridiculously overblown party…”

“I thought you liked parties,” Will interjected.

“Oh I do, but well… It’s just not the way we do it back home. Take our rings for example – and yes I do love mine dearly – but yours is bigger than mine for heaven’s sake! And so much plainer. I really don’t feel as though you truly belong to me. It’s all so awkward and upside down… Don’t you see?”

Will stared at her in silence for what seemed like forever. He really didn’t know what to say. “Deanna,” he muttered finally “I had no idea you felt that way. I’m sorry… I’ve never meant to disrespect your cultural heritage. I mean… I took your name. I got married in the nude for God’s sake, doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Of course it does. I wouldn’t have kept you otherwise. I’ve always known you were capable of at least minimally accommodating me.”

Will tried to laugh, but it caught in his throat. Was she kidding?

“But darling… It simply isn’t enough. Do you understand? You are Betazoid now. You belong to me. This is our way.”

The corners of her mouth slowly curled upwards. This smile was something altogether different. He looked into her deep black eyes. All of a sudden they were alien somehow, as if he was seeing them for the first time. They glittered, like the garment in his hands. Black on black. "You are mine," those eyes said, and he knew they were right.


End file.
